The Internet and Democracy Project is an initiative that will examine how the Internet influences democratic norms and modes, including its impact on civil society, citizen media, government transparency, and the rule of law, with a focus on the Middle East.

The Internet and Democracy Project is an initiative that will examine how the Internet influences democratic norms and modes, including its impact on civil society, citizen media, government transparency, and the rule of law, with a focus on the Middle East. Through a grant of $1.5 million from the US Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, the Berkman Center will undertake the study over the next two years in collaboration with its extended community and institutional partners. As with all its projects, the Berkman Center retains complete independence in its research and other efforts under this grant.

The goal of this work is to support the rights of citizens to access, develop and share independent sources of information, to advocate responsibly, to strengthen online networks, and to debate ideas freely with both civil society and government. These subjects will be examined through a series of case studies in which new technologies and online resources have influenced democracy and civic engagement. The project will include original research and the identification and development of innovative web-based tools that support the goals of the project. The team, led by Project Director Bruce Etling, will draw on communities from around the world, with a focus on the Middle East.

Follow the research or join in the conversation through a number of different project tools, including our blog, and RSS feed.

OPML Library Resources

The Internet & Democracy Project maintains an ongoing database of notable tools that we encounter in our research.

9 Dec 2010

Discursive Practices on the Left and the Right

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce the release of a new paper exploring U.S. political blogs. This paper compares the practices of discursive production and participation among top political blogs during the summer of 2008 and finds evidence of an association between ideological affiliation and the technologies, institutions, and practices of participation across political blogs.